Tortilla Heights’ replacement: The San Francisco Athletic Club

The Corner Store guys — Miles Palliser and Ezra Berman — have announced the name for their sports bar going into the old Tortilla Heights on Divisadero: San Francisco Athletic Club.

The name is a loose reference to an old San Francisco boxing academy, and more generally, the old school American athletic club. Essentially, it’s going to be a really big sports bar: 28 big-screen televisions, nearly 100 seats, a 20-seat bar, and even a 12-foot section of bleachers that can be pulled out for big games.

Designer Clint Miller (The Corner Store, Redford, Sabrosa) will also build four reserve-able booths that come with the option of ordering beer not only by the bucket, but by the bathtub. Essentially, booths will be able to order a case of beer in a mini porcelain tub. Quips Palliser: “It’s like a champagne bucket, but a little more lowbrow.”

A full food menu will be available, courtesy of Matt Rosson and Sam Kazik, the sous chefs at the Corner Store. The project’s third partner is Neil Holbrook, former Kezar Pub bar guy.

“One of the biggest things we’ve learned [with Corner Store] is how to enter a neighborhood,” says Palliser. “That’s how we enjoy doing a project. We love neighborhoods.”

Adds Berman: “It’s about creating a comfortable, welcoming environment for the neighborhood … a place that’s easy and comfortable for them to enjoy themselves.”

They hope to open in mid-June, and definitely in time for the World Cup. More on SFAC later this week.